33. Return to Dust Religion

Time lost its meaning on the deadly snowy plain. Su Lin held on only with willpower, his legs feeling like they were weighed down with lead. Each time he pulled himself out of the waist-deep snow, it took immense effort. The cold was pervasive, even within his "field of order," the damp chill seemed to penetrate his thick fur and seep deep into his bones. His breathing became rapid and shallow, his vision blackening. The drain on his supernatural powers was far more severe than he had imagined.

Lei Qing, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was acutely aware of the person behind him breathing heavily. He turned around and saw Su Lin's body sway, his knees buckling, and he was about to fall to the ground in the snow.

Lei Qing's reaction was astonishingly fast. He took a step back and instantly wrapped his powerful arms around Su Lin's falling body, holding him tightly in his arms.

"Su Lin!" Lei Qing's voice was filled with a hint of barely perceptible panic. He half-hugged Su Lin, letting him lean against his chest, and quickly lowered his head to check his condition.

Su Lin's face was frighteningly pale, his lips bloodless, moving slightly, but no clear sound emanated. The invisible "field of order" surrounding him trembled violently like a candle in the wind, threatening to collapse. The surrounding cold wind immediately grew fiercer, whipping snowflakes into the two of them.

"Stop... withdraw your power!" Lei Qing ordered, his tone firm. He could see that Su Lin had reached his limit.

Su Lin shook his head with difficulty, his eyes were unfocused, but he still stubbornly tried to concentrate.

"Be obedient!" Lei Qing growled, his voice undeniably powerful. He used his free hand to roughly cup Su Lin's cold cheek, forcing him to look at him. "Look at me! Retract your power! This is an order!"

Perhaps it was the command that worked, or perhaps his body could no longer sustain it, but the faint light in Su Lin's eyes finally extinguished. The force field around him dissipated instantly, and the biting cold and howling wind were like a flood that broke through the dam, instantly engulfing the two of them.

Su Lin's entire body began to tremble violently, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. Without the protection of his supernatural powers, the low temperature nearly froze his blood.

Without hesitation, Lei Qing ripped open the front of his heavy coat and tucked the nearly frozen Su Lin into his arms, warming him with his body heat. His chest was broad and scorching, like a burning charcoal in the snow. Even through the layers of clothing, Su Lin could feel the vibrant life force emanating from beneath those solid muscles. This warmth was so real, so powerful, it dispelled the chill within him.

"Cough... I... I'm useless..." Su Lin buried his face in Lei Qing's neck, which smelled of sweat and cold breath. His voice was weak and full of self-blame.

"Shut up." Lei Qing tightened his arms, resting his chin on Su Lin's cold forehead. His voice was low and hoarse, "You've done enough."

He showed no intention of letting go, and in the midst of the blizzard, he used his body to build a small safe haven for Su Lin. The wind and snow lashed against his broad back, but he remained motionless, like a silent mountain, shielding the person in his arms from all the cold.

After a long while, until he felt that Su Lin's body trembling gradually subsided and his breathing became a little smoother, Lei Qing relaxed his arms a little, but still held him firmly by his side.

"Let's go back." Lei Qing made the decision, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. Finding water and food was nothing compared to Su Lin's safety.

Su Lin wanted to object, but his weak body and Lei Qing's unquestionable gaze made him swallow his words. He nodded and leaned against Lei Qing.

The return journey seemed even longer and more difficult due to the exhaustion and the snowstorm. Lei Qing shouldered most of Su Lin's weight, one arm tightly wrapped around Su Lin's waist, the other leaning on a thick, hastily found branch as they painstakingly forged their way through the deep snow. Each step sank deep, and each step sent large chunks of snow flying up in the air as they pulled themselves out.

Su Lin's consciousness slipped in and out of focus. When he was awake, he could feel Lei Qing's steady, powerful heartbeat through his chest, could smell his scent of ice, snow, and sweat, and could feel the arm around his waist, like the strongest shackles, locking him securely in place. When he was hazy, he felt only cold, an endless cold, with only the warmth beside him as the only real thing.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, just when Su Lin felt that he might not be able to hold on and make it back, Lei Qing suddenly stopped and his body tensed up instantly.

"What's wrong?" Su Linqiang cheered up and asked weakly.

Lei Qing didn't answer, his sharp eyes scanning the wind-blurred landscape ahead like a hawk. His ears twitched slightly, as if trying to detect unusual sounds in the wind. The muscles in his arm around Su Lin flexed, and he entered a state of complete alert.

Su Lin followed his gaze and saw nothing but a vast expanse of white. But he trusted Lei Qing's intuition.

Suddenly, about a few dozen meters in front of the left, behind a pile of rocks half-covered by wind and snow, several moving shadows appeared vaguely.

That seems to be... a person?

In such extremely bad weather, besides them, there were other people appearing in this wasteland?

Lei Qing immediately pulled Su Lin along, quickly crouched down, and used a snow-covered slope to hide his body. He signaled Su Lin to remain absolutely silent.

The figures gradually became clearer. They were five people. They all wore the same, unusually wide gray robes, the hems of which trailed almost to the snow. Their heads were covered with hoods, completely obscuring their faces. Their movement was peculiar, their steps slow and consistent. Walking through the deep snow seemed effortless, as if the wind and snow had far less impact on them than on ordinary people.

They walked in silence, no words spoken, only the soft crunch of snow beneath their feet. An uncomfortable stillness surrounded them.

As the gray-robed group passed within twenty meters of their hiding place, an indescribable smell drifted over on the wind. It wasn't the freshness of snow, nor the vitality of living people, but a mixture of... dust, decay, and a faint, yet nauseating, fishy sweetness.

Su Lin's stomach churned, and he subconsciously covered his mouth and nose. Lei Qing's eyes instantly became extremely cold and sharp. He stared at the gray-robed men, as if he wanted to see through them.

At this moment, a gray-robed man at the end of the team seemed to have noticed something. He stopped suddenly, turned his hood slightly, and headed towards the direction where Lei Qing and Su Lin were hiding.

Lei Qing's breath instantly caught, and the veins on his hand gripping the hunting knife bulged. Su Lin's heart leaped into his throat. He could feel the power accumulating within Lei Qing, like a fully drawn bow.

Time seemed to stand still.

However, the gray-robed man only paused for a few seconds, and the shadow under the hood seemed to "look" over here, then turned back as if nothing had happened and followed the team. Soon, the group of five people disappeared in the vast wind and snow, as if they had never appeared.

Not until their figures completely disappeared did Lei Qing's tense body slowly relax, but the solemnity in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"Who are they?" Su Lin asked in a low voice, still feeling a bit apprehensive. The aura of those people was so strange that it made him extremely uneasy.

Lei Qing shook his head, his expression grim. "I don't know. But they're definitely not ordinary survivors." He paused, then added, "The smell they carry... is very similar to what Mu Lin described: contaminated snow."

This association made Su Lin shudder. He suddenly remembered what Mu Lin had mentioned before, the extreme cold weather that had caused a sharp decline in the population twenty years prior, as recorded in the Northern Base, and... the legend of the "Return to Dust Cult." Those cultists who believed in "all things return to dust" and performed horrific sacrificial rituals...

A terrifying suspicion formed in his mind. Could these gray-robed people be followers of the "Return to Dust Cult"? What was their purpose in appearing here?

"We can't stay here for long. We must go back immediately." Lei Qing stood up and helped Su Lin up again. He glanced around vigilantly, "Tell everyone about this."

The two remained silent for the rest of the journey, but the atmosphere felt even heavier than before. This was not only due to the physical fatigue and cold, but also the invisible pressure brought by the mysterious gray-robed men. An unknown enemy might be even more terrifying than the harsh environment.

When the vague outline of the stone house finally reappeared in his sight, Su Lin almost shed tears. It was not just a shelter from the wind and snow, but also the only place they could call "home" in this apocalyptic world.

The door seemed to be guarded. When they approached within a certain distance, it was suddenly pushed open from the inside. A Yan was the first to rush out, not even having time to put on his coat. He was only wearing a thin vest, his face full of anxiety and worry. When he saw the pale Su Lin, half-supported and half-carried by Lei Qing, his eyes instantly reddened.

"Su Lin!" He almost rushed over, supporting Su Lin from the other side, his voice choked with sobs, "How are you? Where are you hurt?"

Mu Lin and Xing Chen followed closely behind. Mu Lin immediately stepped forward and expertly checked Su Lin's condition, placing his finger on his wrist to feel his temperature and pulse, his brow furrowing ever tighter. Xing Chen clutched the hem of Su Lin's shirt tightly, his face pale and tears welling in his eyes.

"Come into the house first." Lei Qing said in a deep voice, interrupting A Yan's rapid-fire questioning.

Everyone gathered around Su Lin and returned to the house. Warm air instantly enveloped him, dispelling the chill that had settled on his bones. Mu Lin immediately placed Su Lin on a fur mat near the fireplace, covered him with a thick blanket, and then turned to prepare hot water and potions.

A Yan squatted in front of Su Lin, holding his still cold hand, rubbing it non-stop, trying to transfer his warmth to him, mumbling incoherently: "It's all my fault... I should have insisted on going with you... Damn it... I won't let you go again next time..."

Lei Qing took off his snow-soaked coat and walked to the fireplace to add wood to make the fire burn brighter. He turned his back to the crowd and did all this silently, but the tense lines on his shoulders showed that he was not at peace.

Mu Lin brought a bowl of steaming hot soup, emitting a strong herbal aroma, and carefully fed it to Su Lin. The warm liquid slid down his throat, and a warm current gradually spread from his stomach to his limbs. Su Lin felt his frozen body finally feel a little bit of life, and consciousness was completely awake.

"I'm fine," he said, looking at his companions gathered around him and smiled weakly, "I'm just a little weak."

"It's not just exhaustion," Mu Lin said solemnly, "Your superpower consumes your spiritual essence. Excessive use will lead to loss of vitality. This time you are just exhausted, next time..." He didn't say anything else, but everyone understood the unspoken meaning.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavier.

Su Lin lowered his eyelashes. He knew that Mu Lin was telling the truth. He didn't want to experience that feeling of being drained away again.

"We encountered something..." Lei Qing turned around and broke the silence. His voice attracted everyone's attention.

He briefly described his encounter with the group of gray-robed men on the way back, emphasizing their strange attire, the silent way they moved, and the unsettling smell of a mixture of decay and sweetness.

As he spoke, Mu Lin's face became paler and paler, A Yan clenched his fists tightly, and Xing Chen shrank back towards Su Lin in fear.

"...I suspect they might be related to the 'Guichen Sect'." Lei Qing finally expressed his guess.

"Guichen Sect..." Mu Lin repeated the name in a low voice, his eyes filled with disgust and a hint of fear. "If it's really them, then this snow... I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"Who cares what religion they belong to!" Ah Yan stood up suddenly, his face full of anger. "If anyone dares to mess with us, I'll burn them all to ashes!"

"Calm down, Ayan." Mu Lin held his shoulder. "If this is really the Guichen Sect, they are far more dangerous and crazy than you think. They are not afraid of the cold, and they must have a purpose for appearing here."

"Has our position... been exposed?" Stardust timidly asked the most crucial question.

Lei Qing shook his head. "Probably not. They were just passing by and showed no signs of stopping to search. But we can't let our guard down."

Everyone's attention was focused on Su Lin again. Having just escaped danger, he had no time to catch his breath before he had to face a potential threat that might be even more terrifying.

Su Lin leaned back on the soft fur mat, feeling the strength slowly returning to him, and the mixed gazes of worry, dependence, and trust from his companions. Outside, there were unknown cultists and a constant freezing cold, while inside, there were precarious survival supplies.

The road ahead seems dark.

But when he looked at Lei Qing's calm figure, A Yan's angry yet determined eyes, Mu Lin's calm analysis, and Xingchen's complete trust, the faint flame in his heart did not go out.

He took a deep breath, and although his voice was still a little weak, it was filled with an unquestionable firmness:

"Whatever comes, we will face it together."